BG01A-Very Dark Times
by VStarTraveler
Summary: With the Colonies in ruins and the Colonials trying Adama's desperate plan to save humanity, Flight Corporal Rigel must battle memories from her past as she struggles to help pick up the pieces. This story begins during "Saga of a Star World" and just after the conclusion of BG01-SAFE-TY SYS-TEM. Complete!
1. Chapter 1

**BG01A-Very Dark Times  
** By VStarTraveler

 _Summary: With the Colonies in ruins and the Colonials trying Adama's desperate plan to save humanity, Flight Corporal Rigel must battle memories from her past as she helps pick up the pieces. This story begins during "Saga of a Star World" and just after the conclusion of my story BG01-SAFE-TY SYS-TEM._

 ** _'_** ** _***_**

 _Disclaimer: This story is a work of fiction, written entirely for fun and not for profit. This interpretation of the world of Battlestar Galactica is entirely my own, and Battlestar Galactica and all of its various components remain the property of their respective owners._

* * *

 **Chapter 1:**

Despite having over three yahrens of experience serving on the Bridge aboard the _Galactica_ , it was all she could do to keep from crying.

The peace conference they had come to Cimtar to participate in was a ruse perpetrated by the treacherous Cylons. Even as the peace treaty was supposedly about to be signed, they staged their sneak attack. The battle, by far the largest she'd ever witnessed, was now over and lost. The Colonial military fleet was almost completely destroyed, and if not for Commander Adama's suspicions, the _Galactica_ would have been lost like the rest.

The Twelve Colonies, the Colonial homeworlds, had also been attacked at the same time as the fleet; they were now in ruins. The vid feeds of the peace celebrations from home had turned into nightmares playing out on the monitors. Those images were horrific until the broadcast signals ended, the transmitters destroyed. Then the monitors went dark, but the scenes of the flames raging throughout the Colonies lingered, burned forever in her memory.

Billions of people had died and those few who survived were suffering. Commander Adama and the Battlestar _Galactica_ had tried to protect them but, despite their gallant efforts, had arrived too late.

Still, there was no time to dwell on the horror; Flight Corporal Rigel had work to do. Now it was time to pick up the pieces.

While what she saw was a group of blips on her screen, she knew that each blip was a very important strand in the fragile net protecting the scattered remnants of humanity. While not nearly as important in the big scheme of things, many of those blips also represented one of her friends.

As the chief flight controller, Rigel worked closely with the Colonial Warriors on the battlestar, and had met and become friends with many of them over her period of service. She'd even dated a couple of them, though none recently. Now, a great many of those friends and at least one of her former dates were dead at the hands of the murderous, golmonging Cylons.

The remaining Vipers, the few from the _Galactica_ and the survivors from among the relatively small number that had succeeded in launching from the other battlestars before they were destroyed, were being routed to the _Galactica_ 's Alpha Bay or Beta Bay for landing. Rigel directed each group in turn, and soon all were aboard, though not, however, without incident. There were reports of a couple of crashes as Warriors in very badly damaged Vipers tried to make their way aboard.

Rigel's scanner had been set to short range as the Vipers landed, but now, she switched it back to a wider sweep and was surprised to see a number of new, larger blips approaching the _Galactica_ 's position. As each new blip appeared, its Colonial identification appeared on the screen, proving that it was not an enemy. It wasn't long before a veritable flock of smaller blips were approaching, too, and Rigel knew that things would be getting busy again shortly as they started to arrive.

The Commander, who'd made a system-wide broadcast after getting some broadcast satellites in place, was pacing, back and forth, frequently speaking with Colonel Tigh or other Core Command officers as decisions far above Rigel's pay grade were being made, but she was surprised when he put a hand on her shoulder and gave her an almost fatherly pat-pat when he saw nothing pressing on her screen.

"Corporal Rigel," he said in his deep voice at a low level, "thank you for your efforts during all of this. Your work today has helped us save untold lives, both at present, and also in the future by helping bring so many of our Warriors home safely."

She placed her hand atop his for a moment and, as she gave his a squeeze, she replied, "It's my duty, Sir, but you're welcome. What do we do now, Sir? Where do we go from here?"

Adama looked up at the viewscreen and paused for a couple of microns before responding. "Rigel, our job is to save every soul possible right now, so we can save humanity in the long run. You have one coming your way," he added, pointing to her screen, before turning away to speak to another controller nearby.

Those who controlled zones further from the battlestar were busy directing the small blips, mostly small shuttlecraft without FTL capability, to dock with the larger ships that did. However, certain military and governmental shuttles, including the one Adama noted, were routed Rigel's way to board the _Galactica_ , and she directed each in turn to the bay most ready to receive them at the time.

As Adama's stated departure deadline approached, a number of additional deep space ships and a number of additional shuttles were seen coming inbound for what was now being nicknamed by some as the Rag-Tag Fleet. As other ships started to run out of landing space for the small shuttles and then out of docking nacelles, more small ships started being routed to the _Galactica_ 's large bays, which were the largest by far in the entire fleet.

"Corporal Rigel," called Colonel Tigh from a few stations away, "there's an inbound civilian shuttle, 742-Delta Tau, headed toward the Fleet. It will be a last centon arrival. There's a retired but now recalled Warrior aboard it, so please route it to the _Galactica_ when it closes."

"Yes, Sir!"

'***

A little later, the ships began their migration across the heavens, and the nearly exhausted officers and crew on duty around the battlestar were relieved of duty by their replacements. On the Bridge, Commander Adama again thanked everyone for their efforts in case he'd missed anyone during earlier visits, and told them all to get some rest. "However, if you don't think you'll be able to rest for a while, feel free to go assist with the refugee effort in the landing bays. There are similar efforts occurring right now in every ship in our new Fleet."

Rigel, still upset at what she had witnessed and the horrors they had experienced, knew that she would not be able to sleep for quite some time. Therefore, she headed to Alpha Bay, Blue Squadron's primary hangar, to see if she might be able to help with the refugee effort and to learn which of her Warrior friends survived.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:**

 _Approximately eleven yahrens earlier..._

It was late afternoon on a bright, warm spring day. School was over and young Rigel was making her way home from the school transport stop at the end of the road. She kicked a large gravel on the rough road, sending it sailing, wishing as she did that it was the life she and Mother were having to lead that was being booted away.

Since Father had been reactivated as a Colonial Marine in a big ceremony just over three yahrens before, the two of them had lived on Uncle Euberto's egg-production farm. They'd moved there to help Aunt Cresia with her illness, but she'd died a short time later, and Mother said economics dictated that they stay. Rigel knew little about economics, but she knew she hated it as a result.

The farm was located about eighteen kilometrons outside of the somewhat pretentiously named town of Golden City in Taura's southern hemisphere. To Rigel, the only things golden in the squalid little town were the dust, which blew in fairly often from the Great Southern Desert some distance to the southwest, and one of the school's official colors. As a result, Rigel wasn't particularly fond of the color gold, or burgundy, the school's other color, either.

The egg operation was located near the center of the agri-farm, with seed grain grown for the cluckers and the small flock of honkers in the surrounding fields, along with some vegetable gardens and greenhouses where food was grown for use by the family and the few hired hands. Unfortunately, the operation's location resulted in quite a long walk for the young girl every morning and late afternoon. As such, she entertained herself along the way, whistling lightly as she took a couple of bounce-like steps, causing her long, dark braids to fly behind her, before she kicked the stone again. This time it hooked to the right, sailing off into the adjacent field. Uncle Euberto's field. She hoped that he wasn't anywhere around to see that! If so, he'd make her life even more miserable.

Looking ahead, she saw a cloud of dust heading her way, so she quickly scooted to the side of the road. A few moments later, a large transport filled with the latest batch of eggs passed by her with the driver giving her a friendly wave. Rigel smiled and waved back before the dust cloud overtook her. She grabbed her mouth and pinched her nose as the dust settled around her, squeezing her eyes tight. A few microns later, she dropped her hand and opened her eyes just a bit too early, leading to a few coughs as she started once more toward home, wishing as she often did, that she lived closer to town or, better still, in Shelgard, her original home on the western coast.

Rigel had been able to make a couple of friends in her school class, though she lived so far from them that she rarely saw them outside of school. The children who rode her school transport were almost all a few yahrens older and they took great pleasure in teasing her about her clothes, her boots, her braids, and even her smell. She gritted her teeth at the thought and sent another gravel flying, Uncle Euberto be darned! The few younger children on the transport took great pains to avoid speaking or interacting with her to avoid attracting the attention of the older bullies, leaving Rigel to endure the situation alone.

As she turned into the long lane through the agri-farm that led to the farmhouse and production operation, she supposed that the situation could be worse. She had her own small room in Euberto's farmhouse, and she only had to do about one centar of chores in the morning before school and two centars in the late afternoon upon her return. She'd grown to tolerate the cluckers but generally avoided the horridly evil honkers entirely; fortunately, there weren't that many of them. They would sometimes escape from their covered paddock, and would chase and nip at anyone who tried to round them up.

The worst part, though, was the smell, which seemingly clung to everything it contacted. Living on the agri-farm, she was used to it, but going to school, or anywhere else for that matter, the smell went with her. She had learned to carry a small bottle of odor eradicator in her little backpack with her comp pad, her lunch bag, and a few other things. Unfortunately, the odor eater had something of a distinct, sweetish smell of its own, causing everyone to think that she actually enjoyed smelling like a sick flower all the time. Hopefully, their time on the farm, and their dealings with the honkers, that awful smell, and its infernal, sweet replacement would all be ending very soon.

That was because Father's tour of duty ended a few cycles ago, and he would be coming home to them any time. She was so excited by the thought! She hoped that they'd be able to return to Shelgard where she would be reunited with her real friends; she doubted that she'd even say goodbye to most of the people at her current school. The thought of once again being with her hometown friends, running on the nearby beach and riding her board in the surf with them, brought a smile to her face, though they'd all probably graduated to both longer boards and much larger waves in her absence. She'd take it as a challenge to catch up with them!

As she topped a little rise, she heard a sharp "Roouff!" as Grex, Uncle Euberto's big dagget, came bounding down the lane to see her.

"Hi, Grexxie! Good dagget!" she said as she kneeled and petted the creature, hugging his neck and rubbing his head and ears as he wagged his long, fluffy tail. She giggled as he licked her face and pressed against her. "Yeah, I love you, too, boy!" she said with a grin.

Grex was one of the few good things in her life at the moment, always happy to see her, and never pulling her hair. She reached into her small backpack and retrieved a ball she carried for just this purpose. "Here, Grex! Fetch!" she said as she sent the ball sailing down the lane. The dagget spun around surprisingly quickly and was on his way to get it. The cycle repeated several more times over the next few centons as the two neared home.

Grex was returning with the ball yet again as Rigel rounded the little bend into the farm center with all the buildings and facilities it took to make the operation work. However, Rigel's eyes were set on the farmhouse located a little way off to the side, where a ground car with official Colonial Marine markings was parked right in front of the white fence that circled the yard.

"Grex! He's home! Father's home!" she shouted as she ran toward the house with the dagget right behind her, still carrying the ball in his mouth.

She'd made it about half way there when she saw two marines in dress uniforms like those at Father's reinduction ceremony come out and get in the car parked just outside the gate. They drove down the lane toward her, so she stepped off into the grass, smiling and waving happily as they passed. Both appeared stone-faced as Colonial Marines must be taught to be. At least her father wouldn't be like that, she thought.

Grex pressed against her once more, snuggling his snout with the ball into her hand. She took it and rubbed his head excitedly. "Come on, Grexxie! Let's go see Father!" she said as she started running again, with the dagget bounding behind her.

She'd almost reached gate fence when she saw Mother sitting on the front steps. She was holding a somewhat crumpled paper in her hands, clutching it to her breast as she rocked herself back and forth, crying. The ball fell forgotten from Rigel's fingertips as she threw open the gate and ran toward the weeping woman...

'****


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:**

Rigel stepped off the lift just before it reached bottom and entered Alpha Bay. Moments later, she was shocked at what she saw. Even though she had been involved in routing them there and expected to see all of the shuttles of various sizes and shapes jammed into the forward part of the bay, what really surprised her was the number of people standing around, with most looking as if they were in shock. These people were survivors. They had been lucky enough to survive the Cylon attacks and far luckier still to find a way off of whichever of the twelve Colonies on which they lived; however, on arriving on the _Galactica_ , reality must have set in when they discovered that, despite surviving, there was really no place for them, no real safety, nothing at all. The young woman saw shell-shocked children, not understanding what was happening, and grown men and women literally crying because they did. Many of those waiting stood wearing their only remaining possessions, but clinging to the things they held most dear: each other.

A number of the battlestar's crew members were trying to organize the situation, but they, too, seemed to not understand the full magnitude of what had happened or exactly what to do about it. Seeing this, Rigel gritted her teeth in anger and in determination. Willing herself not to cry once again, she bypassed the situation, heading instead into the Blue Squadron Ready Room.

By the time she arrived, most of the surviving Warriors had stowed their gear and gone to bed, in their own bed if they were originally from the _Galactica_ or in whatever bunk had been hastily assigned them if they had originally served on another of the now-destroyed battlestars. There was a watch officer at the assignment desk hitting a key on his keyboard occasionally, two Warriors sitting with heads bowed talking quietly at a back table, and four Warriors who had drawn on-call duty were sound asleep on bunks in the back room.

Rigel approached the man at the desk.

"Excuse me, Ensign. Where's the list of surviving Blue Squadron Warriors?"

The officer jumped slightly, seemingly as much in shock as some of those outside, and looked at her, glassy-eyed. "I'm sorry, what?" he asked.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. Is there a list of Blue Squadron survivors?"

"Oh, it's my fault, Corporal," he said, getting his bearings. "Finding it a bit hard to concentrate, I'm afraid. It's been really rough down here."

Rigel nodded knowingly, and asked again, "Do you have the list?"

"Sure, here, I'm working this over now so we can get a new pilot list on the assignment board. We lost so many good guys, and Red Squadron over in Beta lost even more." He handed her a clipboard with a list with well over half of the names crossed out, even with a number of new names added at the bottom of the sheet.

Tears swelled in her eyes as she scanned down the list but once again, she steeled herself, resisting the urge to let them flow. There, near the start, was Altonis, the young man she'd dated most recently. He'd been young and handsome...and very interested and interesting...but she'd ended the relationship after only a few dates because she wasn't ready to settle down and didn't really believe he was either, despite what he thought at that moment. His name was crossed out.

Running her finger downward, she stopped periodically as she recognized some of the names.

Chiro, Dasch, and Fennig—all dead. Gregor, Kristos, Marzin, and Nestor—also dead. These guys were her friends, like the brothers she'd never had. She'd never see any of them again. Frack!

There were a number of others she didn't know, but then, there was the crossed-off name she'd been afraid she would find since she didn't remember him landing after the battle.

She had been in love with Titus. They had dated for about six sectars, beginning shortly after he had been assigned to the _Galactica_ just over two yahrens before. Their relationship had been wonderful, as close to perfect as any girl could desire - that is, until she discovered his cheating. She had broken up with him and resisted all of his attempts to reconcile, but deep down, she had still cared for him. She had wondered if, perhaps someday under different circumstances, Titus would realize his mistake and really change, but being a realist, she had seriously doubted it and didn't know what she would do if that ever happened. Now, she wouldn't have to wonder any more, she thought as she wiped her eyes before any tears could be spilled.

Vann and Wryler—two more friends, gone. Vann and his sealmate had a young baby on Caprica. She didn't know if they'd made it to the Fleet either.

Her eyes scanned down to the last few lines of the originally printed names to see the struck one that she already knew was there: Lieutenant Zac, Athena and Apollo's brother. Fresh out of the Academy, flight school, and a stint at Command Headquarters, he had only recently been assigned to the _Galactica._ Rigel had met him once, but they had never had the opportunity to talk or become friends. She was on the Bridge as the initial Cylon attack force caught up with him and blew his damaged Viper into fiery bits. She saw the blip disappear on her screen and saw Commander Adama's reaction as he realized his younger son had been killed. She'd seen Athena crying, too. Her heart ached for the Commander and his daughter, and wondered why that had happened, why it all had happened. _Why can't the fracking Cylons just leave us alone? What chance do we have against them? When will they end this stupid game and just kill us all?_

Feeling hopeless and and on the verge of surrender, she moved as if in a daze, returning the clipboard with the names to the watch officer without a word, and then headed listlessly toward the exit into Alpha Bay, stopping just short of the door. It was just too much for the young woman, thinking of the loss of all those poor people throughout the Colonies and so many of her friends here; she would let someone else deal with the problems out there, going instead to her bunk. There, she would let out the pent up emotions, let the tears she was feeling wash over her. She really didn't care anymore; they might all be dead tomorrow anyway.

Rigel exited into Alpha Bay and was about to turn toward the lift, but then she saw a dark man in a blue core command uniform with a bit of gray in his wiry dark hair. She was quite surprised to see Colonel Tigh there, down on one knee in front of several refugees including a little girl of perhaps five or six yahrens of age standing right in front of him. She was focused on him in rapt attention as he was speaking quietly to her while tying her little shoe.

Rigel moved closer just in time to hear the little girl ask, "Sir, I'm scared. What are we going to do if the bad Cylons come back again?"

The young woman watched as Tigh took the little girl's hand in his and said, "DeCee, we're going to do what humans always do. We're going to do our very, very best. We're a little down on our luck right now, but we're not going to let the Cylons, or anyone else for that matter, keep us that way for very long. We are going to get through this, and we're going to go somewhere safe where they'll never hurt us again. We are going to survive."

The little girl gave him a hug and turned back to her mother as others thanked him. When he turned toward her, Rigel, having abandoned her plans of only moments before, asked, "Colonel, what can I do to help?"

'***

 _ **Author's Note:** Following the Battle of Cimtar, the Galactica recovered 67 Vipers, including 25 of her own. ___I_ t was originally stated that none of the other battlestars were able to launch, at least in time for the start of the battle, but it is obvious that some did eventually. Since a battlestar was thought to carry at least 75 active Vipers and up to 150 in a crunch, whatever the original number was shows that the Galactica took very heavy losses of Warriors and Vipers._

 _Thank you for reading this story. Please let me know what you think about it. Thanks!  
_


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4:**

With the colonel having directed her toward a Supply Branch officer, Rigel approached and waited her turn for a couple of centons as the man dealt quickly and efficiently with several people already waiting for him. When he came to her, there was no introduction but rather a questioning look and a curt command, "Next." Clearly there was no room for small talk here.

"Colonel Tigh sent me over and said I might be able to help."

The man, a lieutenant, gave her a look and said, "Corporal Rigel, right? I think I have just the thing for you. We have quite a few young children here who've lost their parents. Your unique qualifications may help some of them relate to you better than some of the rest of us while we figure out what to do with them."

Rigel's eyes narrowed as she looked at the man she didn't even know who would presume so much. "Uh...I'm sorry, I think I may have made a really big mistake in coming here..."

'***

 _About nine yahrens earlier:_

"Uncle Euberto told me last night that the price of clucker eggs has fallen again," Mother said as finished the last braid. The two yahrens since Father's death had been extremely hard on her, with her inability to sleep being a constant problem, aging her body and mind. Without the aid of her sleeping pills, she'd probably never be able to get any rest at all. Now, there were numerous lines in her face and her skin had taken on an almost leathery feel. Worst of all were her eyes, perpetually sad and tired, and her smile, which now very rarely made even the briefest of appearances. "Rigel, I'm so sorry, dear, but we're probably going to have to postpone the trip to Shelgard this year after-"

"Mother! No! You promised! You said we'd be able to go see Jonda and Tess, that I'd get to go to the beach with them! It's bad enough having to live in this stinking place, but to be trapped here, too? We never get to go anywhere! Well, I hate it! This place, Uncle Euberto, you! Father being gone. I hate it all! I can't take this any more!" She huffed back down on the chair and pulled her knees tight to her chest, with her arms encircling them.

Mother, understanding, gently wrapped her arms around the young teen's shoulders and gave her a gentle hug as the girl concluded with tears flowing, "I really just want to go home."

Calming, Rigel rose and wrapped her arms around her mother, too. As their hug became firmer, Mother said, "Sh sh sh, I know, dear. We both want that, and, hopefully, it will actually happen sometime soon. Now, you be off to school and I'll see you tonight." She winced as she gave a final squeeze and put her hand to her forehead.

"Mother, are you okay?" Rigel asked, helping the woman have a seat.

"My head really hurts, dear, and I'm tired and sore all over. My upper back is hurting me now, too. I guess that's what you get when you don't ever get any sleep and toss and turn all night. I hate to do it, but I'm going to have to see about getting an appointment with the doctor if I don't start feeling better soon. Euberto's probably not going to like it, but I'm going to lie back down and hopefully get some rest. I love you, dear Rigel."

"I love you, too, Mother." She paused for a moment, and then rushed back in for another hug, adding, "Oh, I'm so sorry, Mother! I didn't mean it! I don't hate you...or Uncle Euberto, either. I'm so sorry."

Mother gave her one more good squeeze, and as she released her daughter, she forced a brief flash of the usually missing smile. "I know, dear. I didn't for a micron think you did. Now, grab your bag and head off to catch the transport to school. Do your best! I'm going to lie down to rest and I'll see you tonight."

'***

On her way home from the transport stop, Rigel was pedaling her two-wheeler furiously, trying to reach the farmhouse at the end of the lane before the rain started to fall. She was about a hundred metrons away when the drencher began.

Laughing as she jumped off the little vehicle, she carried it up the steps and placed it on the porch to get it out of the rain. Mother had bought it used, so it was old and a little battered, but Rigel took good care of it since it saved so much time getting to and from the transport stop. She'd take it out to the shed and make sure it was dry after the rain ended.

Old Grex sat on the porch wagging his tail, seemingly also laughing at her condition as she wiped the water off her face before giving him a big hug. Entering the house, she called, "Hi, Mother! I'm home!" before removing her boots and running upstairs to change out of her wet clothes.

Dry once more except for her hair (which would dry on its own) and now wearing her work clothes, she started to head downstairs but stopped and glanced in her mother's bedroom when she heard the white sound machine that Uncle Euberto had bought to help her sleep. Sure enough, Mother was sleeping peacefully, so Rigel gently closed the door, went downstairs for a snack.

A few centons later, she looked out the window to see that the rain had slowed to a steady drizzle. Grumbling a bit, she donned her raincoat and boots. "Okay, Grex! Time to go to work!"

The aging dagget stayed put, lying on the floor with a "Surely you aren't talking to me?" look as Rigel shook her head in semi-amusement at him and headed out to do her evening chores.

'***

It was almost two centars later when she walked back to the house through a once-again pouring rain. Shedding her rain gear and boots in the mud room, she entered the kitchen and was somewhat surprised that Mother wasn't there preparing the evening meal. Grex rose with a good shake and was happy to see her, so she played with him for a few moments before feeding him. Getting a glass of milk and a cookie from the jar, she sat down at her desk and started her homework, with Grex soon joining her, lying on the floor next to her after finishing his meal.

'***

Uncle Euberto, having finally finished the day's work, climbed the four steps to the farmhouse as night fell. Grex met him with tail wagging, so Euberto took a moment to pet the elderly dagget and give him some loving. On entering the kitchen, he was mildly surprised, like Rigel before him, to find it deserted, but Rachellen had been ill that day. She had done a great job with the household duties and a portion of the farm work since shortly after Cresia, his sealmate and Rachellen's older sister, had passed. That was a short time after Rachellen and Rigel came to live with them.

"Anyone home?" he called as he was about to start up the steps to the upper floor. However, a strange noise outside attracted his attention so he went to the front door to see what it was. Opening the door, his eyes grew big and he turned and ran upstairs.

Rigel was sitting on her mother's bed, clutching Rachellen in her arms as she rocked back and forth, much like her mother had done just over two yahrens earlier after being told of her sealmate being killed in action. Euberto touched her arm but found it cool. A moment later, the first of the air ambulance med techs entered and gently pried the woman's body from the young teen's grasp. He layed the woman back and started checking her vital signs.

A centon later, with the second med tech preparing a breathing bag, the first put up a hand indicating for her to stop. He turned to Euberto, who was now holding Rigel as she cried, and said, "I'm very sorry, she's gone."

'***

 _Author's Note/PSA: While we aren't sure what caused Rachellen's death, one does not require severe chest pains to be experiencing the start of a heart attack. A couple of Rachellen's symptoms are lesser recognized but still possible signs of the onset of such an event even when chest pains aren't yet evident. If you have such unexplained symptoms, please contact your doctor as quickly as possible. While it may be nothing, it may save your life!_


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5:**

As Rigel turned away from the supply officer, he grabbed her arm and said in low voice, "Hey! Wait a centon! I don't know what in Hades is going on, but we really could really use your help."

She whirled around on the man with fire in her eyes. "Maybe there's not enough going through my head right now so you have to add that to it, too? Is that it?"

The man's looked at her questioningly as she continued, "I was watching the broadcasts of the peace celebration and saw what happened, until the vid feeds went dead anyway. I saw my Warrior friends trying to defend us as they and their ships just blinked off of my screen. There's a list of dead Warriors, though not really a list, just crossed off names as if they didn't exist, but they're friends I'll never get to tell goodbye. It's all I can do to hold it together now, and you just have to throw my dead parents on top of all that? You think that I have a unique background, that maybe I know what those children are experiencing just because I lost both of my parents at such a young age? You think that I'll know how to help these poor kids just because of that? Well, no, you bollox, I don't know how! We don't have a clue what those poor children are thinking," she said in an equally angry but very low voice to avoid scaring the group of children nearby. "There probably having ten different emotion - "

The man began looking increasingly livid the more she spoke and he finally interrupted before she could say more. "Corporal, I didn't know anything about your personal background, your parents, or anything else. Now that you've told me, I'd be sorry about you losing them, whenever you lost them, but frankly, I lost friends and relatives, too. In fact, we just now lost _twelve whole worlds of people_. Do you really understand what that means?"

Rigel's paused as she though about the attacks in those terms. She'd been focused on the personal aspects to help her get through the horrible situation but was somewhat in denial over the big picture. She'd been so determined to keep functioning but now it felt as if she was coming apart.

The supply lieutenant didn't let her have the time, though. "No? Well, me either, it's just too much to comprehend! What it means right now, though, is that I really don't have the time to feel sorry about something that happened however long ago. I'm not asking you to play therapist and get into those children's heads. What we have to do right now - right this very moment - is to help the living if we want them to keep being survivors. We've lost billions; we don't want to lose any more. Do you get it?"

His words were like a chisel, sinking deep into her consciousness, chipping away the tough shell in which she'd encased herself and making plain what she had been trying to deny. However, before she could respond, the lieutenant concluded, "Corporal, we have, right here, right now, several hundred people who need help, including a lot of young children. And yeah, you really do have a unique qualification for what I'm asking you to do, but it has nothing to do with your past. It's your gender. Being female, a lot of these young children, especially the young girls, may relate to you better than some of the big, hairy, scary guys in uniform who are already trying to help; notice that we don't have a lot of women down here helping at the moment. Therefore, if you want to help, I have something very important for you to do. If not, get your astrum out of my "temporary operations center" we normally call a landing bay and let those who are helping do their jobs!"

Serving on the Bridge and often right in the heart of the action, Rigel took great pride in her reputation at being so professional in her duties, but here, seeing the children in desperate need of help, she suddenly felt really ashamed at the way she'd acted and the offense she'd taken. She bit her lip as she paused for a moment, but that was a moment longer than the overworked officer had. He started to turn away to help another person who had approached, but she called out, "I'm...I'm sorry. I'll help."

The man nodded, still unsmiling but no longer looking angry at her, and replied in a controlled manner, "Corporal, don't waste time being sorry. Go help that group of children over there. There are cups and water available over there, and we're trying to round up more blankets so the little ones can lie down. A number of them couldn't even wait for that. Do whatever you can to make them comfortable and feel safe. If you can, get a couple of the older children to help; they can serve as examples to the little ones."

Rigel nodded and was turning to go when he added, "By the way, see about helping the little girls to the turboflush, too. We've already had a couple of accidents from little ones who were too afraid to go in by themselves. Now go, go, go!"

'***

Almost a centar later, most of the remaining group of children were lying on blankets or towels on the deck. Rigel was walking around with one little girl of perhaps two yahrens sleeping on her left shoulder, and another of perhaps four holding her free hand. The young woman wasn't used to holding a small child, so she frequently had to release little Melanie's hand to adjust and get a better grip on the smaller girl whose name she didn't even know. She smiled lightly when she realized the dozing toddler was gripping one of her braids as if it was a lifeline.

Since the _Galactica_ was the main fighting vessel of the fleet, it was critical that the landing bays be cleared as quickly as possible in case the Cylons reappeared. The shuttles had been emptied and shifted as close together as possible, with some already being marked for recycling. A portion of the refugees, including some of the children, were taken to other parts of the ship hastily converted into temporary dormitories. Someone even mentioned that they were bedding people down on the _Galactica_ 's firing range! Rigel guessed that most if not all would be transferred to other ships once other accommodations could be made, but that might take a while since rumor had it that other ships were facing similar overcrowded conditions. Rumors were also already flying among the adults about horrid conditions on some of the other ships, including one having a solium leak! The name of the unlucky ship varied with the rumor.

Rigel had found a couple of older kids to help as the supply officer had suggested, but she was so tired she couldn't remember either of their names. The boy was about 13 or 14 and had quickly adapted to his leadership role, getting the younger boys to cooperate. Most were now bedded down in relatively neat rows and the rest were being watched by the young man and several volunteers from the Galactica. One of the adults nodded to the youth, and Rigel smiled when she saw him sink down on a blanket and fall asleep in what seemed like only microns.

Her female assistant appeared to be a couple of yahrens older than the boy, and had taken to the job immediately, though not exactly happily. "I always got stuck babysitting for my little brother and the neighbor kids," she said. "I'm good at it, but that doesn't mean I have to like it."

"Are they here?" asked Rigel gently.

The girl simply shook her head, looking down at the deck as she walked away. Rigel watched her go for a moment, and then turned to see if she could get the little toddler off her shoulder and her hair out of the little girl's hand without waking her.

'***

A short time later, her teenage assistant nodded to Rigel as the next-to-last little girl in the group appeared to have fallen asleep. Rigel mouthed a "Thank you!" to the girl, who instead of lying down herself, made a beeline for Colonel Tigh who was speaking with a somewhat disheveled man wearing a worn, torn, and very dirty Colonial Warrior's jacket. Rigel was about to call her back when she saw that they seemed to welcome her into their discussion, so she turned to the little shadow at her side.

"Melanie, you're about to drop, dear. Let's lie down here, okay?"

"Miss Rigel, don't leave me. I'm still scared," the little girl said as her tears started to flow again.

"Don't cry, dear. I'll stay right here with you." Exhausted, the arms of sleep soon welcomed both of them.


	6. Chapter 6

**_Author's Note:_** _Many thanks to Max2013, Galya, Gamera Obscura, gym mom 2, and Artemis the Rebel for their feedback and support so far in this story. I've had a lot going on for the past couple of weeks and their support has really helped me as I've struggled to find time to continue this story. I really appreciate my readers' reviews, follows, and favorites; they make it easier to keep the story going to its conclusion. Thank you!_

* * *

 **Chapter 6:**

 _Two cycles later, near the end of First Shift on the Battlestar Galactica:_

Rigel glanced at the chrono and was happy to see her shift was almost over. She was looking forward to getting a bite to eat and some much-needed sleep. She'd had bad dreams when she'd been able to sleep at all.

She looked at her monitor. The past couple of cycles had been so hectic. The fleet was being organized, with distraught refugees being shifted from ship to ship as needed based on space available, or in most cases, on the relative degree of overcrowding. Some of the ships were in desperate need of repairs, though parties of Warriors and mec techs searching for reported solium leaks had yet to turn up anything serious. They had, however, discovered a number of other problems, including a case of pluton poisoning affecting the food supply, and worse yet, food hoarding by some of the newly elected Council Members. Rigel had even heard a rumor that Captain Apollo and Sire Uri had almost come to blows when Apollo had ordered some of Uri's food distributed to the hungry. She smiled at the thought.

The big news, though, was Commander Adama's announcement that the fleet wasn't just fleeing the Cylons and running for the people's lives. According to the commander, they were actually on a mission to find the lost Thirteenth Colony that had settled on a distant planet known as Earth many millennia before. The thought of having fellow humans, even distant cousins, on that planet brought another brief smile to her face and hope to the hearts of refugees throughout the Fleet.

The second big piece of news was what had happened just a couple of centars earlier. The Fleet, at the urging of Captain Apollo with the unlikely support of Sire Uri, was to travel through the Cylon minefield in the Nova of Madagon to a planet where supplies would be available to allow them to reach Earth. From what she'd seen, the commander hadn't looked too happy about this plan. This made Rigel question the situation since she trusted Adama completely, but based on reports that soon started filtering in from around the Fleet, the news was at least offering the people even more hope for the future.

Currently, though, there was still a job to do as Rigel was reminded when her headset sounded, _"Galactica Control, this is Patrol Alpha Five, requesting permission to launch."_

The call brought her back to full attention. Seeing the patrol listed on the schedule, she replied, "Acknowledged, Patrol Alpha Five. Launch Bay Alpha, stand by to launch fighter patrol. Acknowledge."

 _"Acknowledged, ready and functioning."_

"Core Systems transferring control to patrol fighter craft," she said as she flipped switches. "Launch when ready."

On her control panel, Rigel saw the lights for Alpha Launch Tubes 7 and 8 light up, indicating a launch, and then go dark as two new blips appeared on her monitor. She watched as the twin blips turned toward the rear of the Fleet and then began to accelerate rapidly when the two Colonial Warriors hit their turbothrusters. Since there was no other significant local activity at the moment, she toggled her screen to a wider view and could see the Vipers continuing to go back to look for any signs of pursuit behind the convoy of ships. As they neared the edge of her screen, she silently prayed, "May the Lords be with you" and then switched back to monitor local traffic.

Rigel hadn't recognized the voice on the comm, so she guessed it was probably one of the surviving Warriors from one of the destroyed battlestars. That triggered the thoughts she now couldn't get out of her mind. She'd had some time to think over all of the things that had happened over the past few cycles, but each time she did, it threatened to overcome her.

Destroyed planets and battlestars.

Humanity on the verge of extinction.

The few survivors hanging on by a very tenuous thread.

And the poor children. Oh, after what she'd seen in the landing bay and what she'd dreamed over the past two sleep cycles, she really didn't want to think of those little displaced and homeless children at all.

'***

 _Approximately five and a half yahrens earlier..._

The mag lev transport hovered scant millimetrons above the rail as the cars sped across Taura's Great Southern Desert. Rigel looked out the window, watching the shifting sands as the wind created little eddies in the distance. However, she was unconcerned about the beauty of the scene or its possible meaning. Finally leaving all of her troubles and heartaches on the farm behind meant she was instead focused only on the time as she counted down the centons until her arrival in Shelgard. In just a few more centars she would finally be returning home for the first time in over eight yahrens. She planned to spend a few sectons staying with her friends and spending time at the beach before enrolling at the university in a few sectars. She could barely contain her excitement. It was the best cycle of her life!

Seven centars later in the Shelgard transport station, Rigel sat looking at the public vid screen she'd used to check her messages, reading the message for the third time.

 _Hi Rige!_

 _The coolest thing ever has happened! Praeder invited me to go with him and his family to Castle Rock! Isn't that fabulous? We're leaving a little later this morning so I won't be able to see you for a little while after all. Since I'm going to be away, my parents decided to head out on a little furlon all on their own while I was out of their hair. I'm sorry I've got to cancel on you like this. I'll be back in about two or three sectons so hopefully I'll see you then, okay?_

 _See ya,_

 _Jonda_

Rigel couldn't believe that her friend would skip out on her like this after all the plans they'd made over the past few sectars. However, if she was reading it correctly, this wasn't even something that had happened at the last moment. Jonda had simply forgotten to tell her, or worse still, chosen not to do so. Either way, it now looked to Rigel that her arrival really wasn't all that important to her friend.

The young woman rechecked her calendar and confirmed that Tess wasn't due back on Taura for almost a sectar, so all of Rigel's plans to spend the next few sectons with her friends had suddenly come to a screeching halt. It was a few moments later when she suddenly realized another, even more important problem: she was now homeless, too!

Her eyes felt a little watery but Rigel absolutely refused to shed tears over her latest problem. After all, far worse things had happened to her, she thought, so she took careful stock of the situation. She had some cubits, but not nearly enough to last for food and shelter until school started, when she would be able to access her university fund. She had finished her secondary school degree early and had already picked up a number of university level courses in anticipation of attending Shelgard University in a few sectars. She'd had a huge fight with Uncle Euberto over the plan since he felt she should attend the little school in Golden City and stay on the farm, but she had insisted on going to school in Shelgard. After being away for so long and finally making it home to Shelgard, she'd get through this and do so without involving Uncle Euberto, somehow or another! She knew that if she had to contact him, he _would_ come get her, but he would probably drag her back to the farm and never let her leave again. Therefore, contacting her uncle was simply not an option!

Formulating the best plan she could under the circumstances, she opened her large bag and took a few things out, placing the items in her small backpack. Then, with the pack on her back and dragging the big bag behind her, she approached a transport agent and said, "Excuse me, do you have storage lockers here at the terminal? And can you tell me where I can find..."

'***


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7:**

A slight reflection on Rigel's polarized screen gave her the hint that someone was there. With nothing happening on the monitor, she turned to see Lieutenant Athena, a Bridge officer and one of her few female friends on the _Galactica_ , standing behind her.

"Hi Rigel. Are you okay? We haven't had a chance to talk since...well, since all of this has been happening."

"Hi, Athena. Yeah, I'm a survivor. And you?"

"I guess I am, too, though it's been really tough. Want to get some dinner and talk for a little while after the shift ends? I haven't been able to get my mother and brother off of my mind, much less all of the other people and all of the things that have happened. Starbuck's supposed to be back later, but I could use some girl time first. Know what I mean?"

Rigel nodded as she saw a blip approaching on her screen. "Yeah, I think so. See you right after shift change."

 _"Galactica Control, this is Shuttle Theta 12 from the Tylinium Belt, requesting permission to land."_

Rigel hit a toggle and immediately transitioned back to flight control mode. "Shuttle Theta 12, proceed to vector 148, mark 12 for _Galactica_ Beta Bay approach..."

'***

Athena and Rigel were sitting huddled together in the forward mess hall surrounded by other crew members and a few refugees just finishing their meal. Due to the large number of people aboard, the newcomers had been placed on a staggered schedule opposite the ship's crew for meals so the galley crews would be able to keep up. The young women talked quietly as they ate their meager fare, though neither was very hungry.

"It's all so cruel," said Athena. "They sweep in and senselessly destroy everything in their path, not caring who or what they kill. Of course, that's the whole point, isn't it, they want to kill us all?"

Rigel, having just taken a bite, nodded in agreement as Athena continued, "Did...did you lose any relatives? I guess I've been focused on that, taking it personally due to Mother and Zac, but then again, I just can't get those images out of my mind. We were supposed to be seeing the peace celebrations on those news feeds, but instead saw…well, genocide, the near elimination of our species but also the destruction of hope." A tear streamed down first one cheek and then the other. "And I start crying again at the drop of a hat...or less."

Rigel took Athena's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze as she said, "Athena, I know. I haven't found my uncle who raised me after my parents died, but they're adding more names to the registry every centar, so it's possible that he'll show up eventually. And today, I basically had to tell some of the Warriors that we didn't know to do about the food shortage. Fortunately, I heard that your brother helped do something about that, at least in the short term. I think that's what's going to happen, though. We'll keep doing what it takes so we _will_ get through this."

Athena shook her head. "I'm just not sure, Rigel. We say that, but those are really just words to try to give us back some of that hope the Cylons took from us. Now we have our backs up against the wall, and it won't take much for them to cause it to crumble down on top of us." More tears slipped from her eyes, trailing down her face.

Rigel grasped Athena's other hand and then gave them a tighter squeeze without relenting. She looked Athena in the eyes and said, "Maybe so, but simply put, we must do it, whatever it takes. I've learned that, Athena, sometimes we do things simply because we must if we want to survive. Sometimes we just don't have another choice."

'***

 _Eight cycles after Rigel arrived in Shelgard..._

Rigel left the youth hostel where she'd been staying, did a quick stop at the transport station to swap out some clothes from her bag in the locker and renew the rental for a few more cycles. She hung the underwear she'd washed in the sink at the hostel that morning and wrung almost dry on a polycarbon hanger borrowed from the hostel and placed it in the back of the locker to finish air drying by her next visit. Then she stopped at a market and bought a loaf of bread from last cycle and a brown dotted yellow fruit from the clearance shelf along with a small chunk of cheese. Splitting the bread and cheese carefully, they would be her food for the next cycle or so. She ate the first small portion and peeled and ate the slightly sweet yellow fruit. After cleaning up in the turboflush room in a city government building, she spent the next several centars looking for a job in yet another section of town.

Luck was with her this time. The café was small but had a "Help Wanted" sign out front. It was late afternoon when she told Mister Laelius, the owner, that she was used to working hard, really needed the job, and was willing to do anything to help. He agreed to hire her on a trial basis, starting her off by washing dishes as the evening crowd started filtering into the little restaurant. He saw that she was so efficient at it that he had her helping with bussing and cleanup before the shift was half over.

After working on the farm while growing up, this work really wasn't that hard to Rigel, though she suspected that it would become boring fairly quickly. As the evening went along, Laelius even had her help serve a couple of larger orders, though all she'd really done was carry the extra dishes out for the server so the rather-harried young woman could make sure they ended up in front of the correct patron. Because she'd done so well, the owner had her stay after the little place closed for the evening to help clean up and prepare for the next cycle.

Rigel was so excited; with the money she would be earning, she would be able to afford to stay in Shelgard until school started and might even be able to spend time at the beach with her friends…if they still were her friends. With all that had happened during the past secton and all the thought she'd given it, Rigel couldn't be sure.

That dark thought was overshadowed by an even darker event just a few centons later when Laelius made an inappropriate pass at her.

Rigel, brushing off his hands and refusing to return his attempted kiss, backed away from him, winding up with her back against shelving filled with foodstuffs. "Mister Laelius, stop it! What do you think you're doing?"

"Why, Rigel, helping you help me, of course. You said you'd do anything when you were asking for the job."

"You know what I meant," she growled at him, "and it sure wasn't that! Get back or I'll scream." She reached behind her on the shelf and found purchase on a can and a bottle that she brought around to hold up in front of her as potential weapons.

The owner squared his shoulders at her and replied in a determined manner, "Put those down! And keep your voice down! If you're going to be such a tease, don't bother coming back. You're fired!"

"If you're going to pull stunts like this, I wouldn't want to work here anyway! Now give me the cubits you owe me for today and you won't ever see me again."

Laelius looked at her shaking his head. "What part of trial basis don't you understand. You failed, so I don't owe you anything. Now get out!"

Rigel glared at the man. "That's not right! None of this is right, and no, I didn't fail. I just happened to have found a horrible boss who wouldn't know how to treat a woman if his life depended on it!"

Grabbing her little backpack, she stormed out of the café, but not quickly enough to avoid hearing Laelius' cruel, taunting call, "Woman, yes, teenage tease, no!" The door then slammed behind her and she heard the lock slide closed just a micron later. Hurt and angry, she fought the depressing thoughts that filled her head as she returned to the youth hostel.

When she arrived, she learned that there were no more cots for the evening due to numerous arrivals during the afternoon. She'd already used up her guaranteed seven nights in the shelter so her cot had already been reassigned.

"You can try back in a few cycles, but I probably won't be able to give you a cot for another secton," said the matron in charge of the facility. "With it being summer, we have a lot of visitors right now."

"I have no money and nowhere to go," said Rigel, looking at the woman, hoping to change the woman's mind.

The woman could only shake her head, "I'm really sorry, dear. There's nothing I can do but wish you good luck...and you can get some water and use the turboflush here before you go, if you'd like."

Having no cubits for a real room elsewhere but remembering a playset from her childhood, Rigel had made her way to the park near her old neighborhood. She'd gotten a small snack at the café earlier in the evening, so another portion of her bread and cheese filled her. With no better prospects available, she climbed into the little play shelter and spent the night trying, mostly unsuccessfully, to sleep as strange night sounds echoed around her.

'***


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8:**

Athena looked at her friend who seemed lost in thought. "Rigel, you said that an uncle took care of you after your parents passed away. Did he treat you well?"

Rigel refocused on Athena and nodded. "He actually took really good care of me and treated me far better than I probably deserved." She laughed lightly and continued, "Unfortunately, I realized that later, much later, after I spent so much time hating him for making me live on the agri-farm out in the country and doing so much work. In hindsight, it probably wasn't all that bad, but I did do more of the housework and less on the farm after Mother died." She paused for a moment before continuing, "Uncle Euberto made me work, he made me study, and, really, he made me do what I needed to do to grow up. I thought it was just way too much at the time and all I did was complain and want to get out of there where I could go live the good life in Shelgard and be away from him and everything that reminded me of Mother and Father. When I finally took the chance, I discovered how wrong I really was...about almost everything."

Athena gave an understanding nod and then took another bite when Rigel said nothing more. Still, the flight controller was remembering...

 _'***_

 _Back in Shelgard, t_ _he next cycle :_

Rigel felt exhausted the following day, but she was back at it, trying to find work and a better place to sleep. She found neither, so she spent a few of her remaining cubits once again finding the best clearance deals at the local market. She returned to the park at nightfall, sneaking in and hoping that no one would see or follow her. She slept in the same spot for the next two nights, but each successive night as she became more and more tired and more used to the sounds, she slept better.

It was the morning of her tenth cycle in Shelgard when Rigel was sitting on a bench a short distance from the playground. Hunger pangs gnawed at her, so she ate the last of her bread and cheese from the previous day; she would stop at the market again later in the morning. After emptying the water bottle that she would refill at a nearby drinking fountain, she looked at the small mirror from her kit. Looking rather disheveled from her sleeping arrangements, she brushed her hair and then started to braid it again. If she didn't find work in the next couple of cycles, she would be forced to contact Uncle Euberto and probably be sentenced to a lifetime in Golden City - Tarnishville, as she'd grown to think of it - and on the farm. She groaned at the thought as she finished her first braid.

"You're pretty good at that," said an approaching woman walking her small gray and white dagget. The slightly plump woman was probably in her late 50s or perhaps early 60s with short dark hair and a nice smile. She sat down on the other end of the bench. The lady adjusted her dagget's collar as the little creature struggled to reach Rigel for a bit of extra petting or a tasty snack or whatever the young woman might have to offer.

"Thank you. What's your dagget's name? May I pet him? Her?"

"I'm Elysia and this is Jynx. And sure, you can pet her," the woman replied with a smile.

Giving her own name, too, Rigel returned the smile, thinking of Grex, as she petted the excited little creature. Her big dagget, who had once been excited like this to see her, had passed away a couple of yahrens before. Though Uncle Euberto had gotten another dagget some time later, Rigel had just never felt as close to Grantz as she had to Grexie.

"Pardon me for asking, dear, but are you okay? You look like you might need some help."

"It _has_ been a rough secton or so," Rigel answered, "but I'll get by." Somehow, she added to herself.

"Yes, but is there anything I can do?"

Rigel looked at the woman and decided to take a chance. "Possibly. I am looking for a job, so, if you know of anyone who's hiring?" Letting that hang for a moment, she then continued, "I've been back here in Shelgard for about ten cycles and am not having much luck. The one person who offered me a job at his café wanted a lot more than I'm willing to give and then wouldn't pay me for the cycle I did work. School's starting in about seven sectons and I should be okay then, but not if I starve before that time."

"Listen, dear, if you don't mind hard work, I know of something that might interest you."

Rigel listened carefully as the woman gave her some details. When Rigel said she'd like to learn more, the woman replied, "Well, I'll be glad to walk you there, but first, where's this café? I think we need to pay someone a little visit."

 _'***_

 _On the Galactica:_

Noticing Rigel sitting silently, Athena leaned forward and hugged her friend. "Oh, poor Rigel, you must have had a very rough time, but I'm glad you got through it."

With the hug bringing back a bit a cheerfulness, Rigel nodded. "Thanks, me too. It was tough for a while, but I was determined to get through it and survive. Oh, I could lie down and die, or be sent back to my uncle's, or I could do what it took to actually make it. I made my choice and got through it all. Now, we have to do the same here unless we just want to give up. The problem here is there's no Uncle Euberto standing by waiting for our distress call if we need someone to come rescue us."

The taller young officer smiled and said, "You're right, Rigel. If we're going to survive, we really don't have another choice, do we?" She gave her another hug and then glanced at her chrono and added, "It's getting late and I still haven't heard from Starbuck. It seems like he's been avoiding me ever since he got back. I just don't know what goes through that man's head sometimes! I think I'll swing back by the Bridge to see Father and check on a couple of things and then see about tracking him down. He just may get a piece of my mind!"

Rigel grinned at her friend. "Go get him, girl!"

"Don't worry, I will. Thanks for the talk and encouragement. I'll see you in the morning."

"See you then." Rigel watched her go, thinking of their similarities and differences as Athena exited. The two young women were roughly the same age and were quite dedicated to their duties. Athena, daughter of the Caprican Quorum Member and commander of a battlestar, had attended the Colonial Military Academy and excelled. She'd done her flight training, received her commission, and was gaining valuable experience serving on the Bridge. From what Rigel understood, Athena's only major complaint along the way was that she was not allowed to fly Vipers like her brothers, though after what had happened to Zac, Rigel wondered if Athena now wished that he hadn't been allowed to fly them either. Rigel, on the other hand, had ended up on the _Galactica_ by a drastically different path...

 _"***_

 _In Shelgard with Elysia:_

With the cubits freshly collected from a rather distraught and very apologetic Laelius in her pocket, Rigel walked next to Elysia with a renewed pep in her step. The previously unassuming woman had transformed into a virtual leonis when facing the café owner after he insulted Rigel yet again. With Elysia's threats of having his café shut down by city security forces, the health inspector, or the local sanitation board, depending on which arrived first to hear her complaints, the man paid Rigel her wages due, and then shooed them out of the establishment. Once again, Rigel heard the lock slide shut on the door, but this time she was grinning at the sound as she jingled the cubits lightly.

"My sealmate has been with them for over 30 yahrens. We used to move around from time to time, but a few yahrens ago, we got a permanent assignment here in Shelgard, and these have been some of the happiest yahrens of our lives. Of course, we have a couple of little grandchildren now, and our youngest is at Shelgard U, so we get to enjoy the little ones for short periods and then send them home with their parents so peace can prevail in our house again."

Rigel listened intently as the woman continued, "They have excellent benefits including college and even graduate education opportunities. And with the right assignments, the travel opportunities are out of this world!"

"Sounds too good to be true," Rigel replied.

"No, though it can be dangerous, dear, if you pick from among the more dangerous assignments. We are at war with the Cylons, after all," said the woman as they turned the corner. She pointed and added, "There it is, right down the street on the left. It's up to you, dear."

Rigel looked at the sign and then turned and thanked the woman for her help. With Elysia's best wishes behind her, she entered the Colonial Military Recruiting Office a moment later.

 _'***_

 _ **Author's Note:**_ _Many thanks to Galya for pointing out a couple of issues including what was the last section of this chapter. I changed it and part of Chapter 10 as a result. Thanks, Galya!  
_


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9:**

 _Rigel was sitting on the park bench in_ Shelgard _. She felt odd,_ cold, _as if experiencing deja vu._

 _This time, though, little Melanie was gripping her hand tightly on her right and the little toddler was on the other side, sitting up surprisingly alertly and grasping her left hand. There were other little children on the bench and on the ground around them._

 _They all sat transfixed as a wave of Cylon fighters with their negatively slanted wings swept in over the city. Moments later, they saw lasers flashing and bombs exploding in the distance. Rigel wanted to run, to get them to safety, but there was nothing she could do as she witnessed the city becoming engulfed in flames, just like she had seen on the monitors. She looked first at Melanie and then at the little girl, both of whom looked back trustingly, knowing that Rigel would take care of them. However, Rigel was powerless to act, to protect the little ones, as the inferno drew ever nearer. She felt as if her heart was being crushed as everything in the path of the leaping flames was turned to ash. Just as the raging fire was about to sweep over them_ , she awoke with a sharp cry. Fortunately, her roommate worked Third Shift so there was no one there to hear her in their tiny quarters.

She wiped cold sweat from her brow as she checked her chrono. There was just enough time to doze off again, but not wanting to experience yet another nightmare like this one or those of the past few nights, she rose, knowing that this would be a very important cycle. If the rumors she had heard were true, this could potentially mean the difference between a successful escape from the Cylons and destruction of the entire fleet.

She donned her uniform and grabbed breakfast before heading to the Bridge. Once there, she checked her assignment and messages. She quickly dealt with them and then went to her station when the appointed time arrived. Anja, the Third Shift controller and her roommate for the past few sectars, stood but continued to monitor until Rigel could be seated and take over the work.

"I have the duty station," said Rigel, followed by a quick "Thanks!" and exit from the Bridge by Anja.

With her eyes shifting frequently between the scanner monitor and the readout below, Rigel quickly looked at the list of current and expected intership traffic. It was shown as "Restricted," so she did a full scan to confirm that the spaces between all of the ships of the fleet were empty as expected. With the fleet's anticipated passage through the starfield, the starships were getting in single file, as directed by other controllers a few stations away.

While intership travel was currently restricted, there was one mission, _the_ mission, currently planned for her shift. Looking at the mission plan that Sergeant Omega had distributed, she was not surprised to see that the names of the Warriors assigned to the very important task matched those in the rumor that had circulated throughout the fleet since the Council Meeting the afternoon before.

Based on what she read, Captain Apollo and Lieutenants Boomer and Starbuck would be gathering in Alpha Bay preparing to launch on one of the most dangerous missions of their lives. The so-called Nova of Madagon was not a real nova but rather a large, gaseous starfield of intense brightness and heat. It was impossible to traverse the expanse visually without being blinded, so any such trip would have to be accomplished by using instruments only, with the Viper cockpits and ship viewports tightly sealed to protect the people inside. Unfortunately, due to Carillon's abundant natural resources, the Cylons had mined the corridor several hundred yahrens earlier to keep the Colonials from taking advantage of them. There were stories of Colonists who had visited the homeworld of the Ovians, taking the long, round-about route that required traversing a segment of Cylon space, but Rigel suspected that those visits were as much legends as the fabled planets Kobol and Dralinar.

Apollo's plan, which had been accepted by the new Council of the Twelve was to use the Vipers' turbolasers to blast a narrow path through the Cylons' minefield. Rigel suppressed a low whistle at the audacity and craziness of the plan, which, for once, came very close to the rumor that had run through the fleet. With her monitor clear, she glanced around and saw that others were looking as incredulous as she felt. Athena, who already knew the details of the plan, caught her eye and stepped over for a moment.

"Good morning," she said followed by a whispered, "You're not going to believe it, but I just have to tell you what that scamp Starbuck did after we get through this!"

"Deal!" At least Athena seemed confident that they'd make it through.

A short time later, the ships of the fleet were in order as they drew ever nearer to the edge of the expanse. When Commander Adama gave the order, Rigel ran through the prelaunch routine with the Warriors and then gave the authorization, "Launch when ready."

Each of the three Warriors hit their Viper's turbothrusters and sped down their launch tube, practically leaping into space. Rigel, studying her monitor, fed them new coordinates, and they turned dead ahead and started directly toward the starfield. Their cockpit canopies were covered with solid plates and sealed to prevent any of the bright light from the so-called nova from entering. A short time later, they entered the bright, gaseous cloud, followed first by the _Galactica_ , and then the other ships of the fleet, relatively closely spaced, traveling in single file. All viewports, landing bays, and docking ports were tightly sealed to prevent the bright light of the field from entering.

As they flew along, they looked at the scanners in their Vipers, but saw only a bright field of static. " _Hey, my scanner's not showing me a thing,"_ said Starbuck. " _I don't think it's working right."_

" _Same here_ ," called Boomer. " _It's not just yours. As thick as this gas cloud it, it's almost like we're flying through really thick mushy soup. The Viper scanner just can't seem to pick up anything."_

As they ventured further into the starfield, the Warriors realized it was getting hot in their cockpits, too, which the computer readout confirmed only moments later, stating, _"Temperature readout one zero zero and rising."_

 _"We may not be able to see anything, but it's sure getting hot,"_ stated Apollo.

Commander Adama conferred with Colonel Tigh, who nodded his head in agreement before stepping up behind the controllers' stations. "We're going to have to do it. Rigel, please give the command."

Rigel nodded and then spoke into her microphone, "Core Systems transferring control from patrol craft to the Galactica. We will guide you through using scanners." She adjusted her monitor for long range forward view as several of the other flight controllers made similar adjustments to detect the mines so the information could be passed along to the Vipers.

 _"What if we miss a mine?"_ asked Boomer over the comm system.

Before Rigel had a chance to respond, Apollo answered, _"One of us will be the first to know."_

Moments later with the aid of the _Galactica_ 's powerful systems, the computer in each individual Viper began to give readouts to its pilot, allowing him to make minor course corrections and then counting down the time to fire on the mines ahead.

Boomer made small adjustment in each direction and then fired, once, twice, three times when instructed by the computer. While he had logged thousands of centars in Vipers over his career, this was the most trapped, most claustrophobic, he'd ever felt. Usually, he loved to see the stars, but here, the gaseous cloud was so bright that nothing would have been visible and the intense brightness would have burned out his retinas in mere microns. Situated in the enclosed canopy, he made the best of the situation, adjusting as told, and firing, praying that he would not miss. In their own cockpits, Apollo and Starbuck were doing much the same thing.

Rigel watched her monitor carefully, having to allow the computers do the work, feeding the adjustments. However, she would occasionally see a mine appear at the outer edge of her monitor and then see it disappear a moment later as the turbolaser fire from the Vipers did its work. She pointed to the screen as Colonel Tigh looked over her shoulder.

"It's working, Commander!" exclaimed the colonel. "They're clearing a course a hundred maxims wide."

Rigel's gritted her teeth in anticipation as yet another mine appeared on the screen and then disappeared a moment later. The Vipers were creating a narrow corridor about 1,000 metrons wide, through which first the Galactica and then the other ships of the fleet, aligned in single file, were flying, one after another. Then, another mine disappeared from the monitor.

"Now _that_ is precision flying!" exclaimed a grinning Athena from a few stations away.

Rigel nodded in agreement as two and then three more mines appeared on the edge of her monitor.

 _"I can't see a blasted thing,"_ griped Starbuck. _"Are we hitting anything?"_

 _"Heck if I know,"_ replied Apollo.

Rigel as well as the others on the Bridge smiled broadly at the exchange, and even the stone-faced Adama broke a grin. He waited a moment before activating his headset and saying, "Just keep doing what you're doing, Warriors. You're doing great, and we're going to get through this."

 _'***_

 ** _Author's Additional Note:_** _With the exception of_ _Starbuck's and Boomer's_ _initial comments, Tigh's order to Rigel, and Adama's comment at the end of the chapter, all_ _of the dialogue during the actual mission is verbatim from Saga of a Star World. As always, the interpretation of events shown on screen is my own._


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10:**

Several centars later, the fleet's journey through the narrow passage continued, but the three Warriors at the head end of the convoy were tiring and sweating profusely. Still, Apollo, Starbuck, and Boomer made every adjustment just as their computer directed and hit every Cylon mine, allowing their Vipers followed by the fleet to continue on their way. Rigel stared at her monitor carefully, making minute adjustments when needed due to the effects of the high temperature within the "nova."

It was Apollo who noticed the change first. _"It's cooling off!"_

Rigel glanced at the readout and saw that the _Galactica_ 's external temperature was falling steadily. Checking their location, she saw that they were nearing the edge of the gaseous field and that there were no more stars ahead of them until the Carillon system a short distance ahead. Colonel Tigh and the other controllers were doing the same thing. When he looked to Adama, the commander nodded and Tigh ordered, "Negative shield, now."

The giant forward shield retracted. While still bright, with the polarizing field on the front viewscreens, the gaseous field was no longer blinding. With the forward screen magnified, it was just a few moments later that a planet began to come into view.

Adama said, "There it is, Carillon."

In his Viper, Apollo watched as the temperature readout continued to fall and then as his scanner began to lose some of the brightness that had plagued it throughout the journey. _"I think we're going to make it."_

Boomer, on hearing that and seeing a similar occurrence on his own ship, let rip with a _"Yee haa!"_

That exclamation sent an immediate wave of relief across the Bridge and cheers erupted. Hugs, backslaps, and high fives were exchanged, and Rigel was grinning more brightly than she had since before the whole nightmare began. She glanced toward the Commander and saw him and Colonel Tigh clasp hands and then grasp arms in a rare display of genuine happiness and excitement at their success.

With the mission complete, one of the other controllers assumed flight control for the returning Vipers heading back to Alpha Bay for landing as Rigel assisted the first of two Red Squadron patrols launch from Beta Bay. Others were directing the starships back into their usual place in the convoy.

Adama looked over the Bridge as he said, "Excellent job, everyone. Set course for the planet Carillon."

Remembering what they'd experienced, seeing what they'd just done, and hearing Adama's comforting voice, Rigel smiled. While they had been through the darkest of times, Rigel knew, deep down in her heart, that they would make it. While it wouldn't be easy, happier times were ahead.

'***

With their shift over and Carillon only a few centars away, Athena and Rigel stopped by the mess hall to eat. Like the evening before, there were still a number of the refugees in the dining facility finishing their meals as the first-shifters entered. Rigel noticed someone just finishing her meal so she said to Athena, "I need to check on something, so I'll be with you in a couple of centons."

Athena agreed, so Rigel went over to a table with a lone diner. She approached her young female helper from a few nights before who was busy looking at a comp pad. Rigel still couldn't remember the girl's name, so she said, "Hi, I'm Rigel. I just wanted to say thank you for helping with the little girls the other night."

The young girl replied, "Hi, Rigel. I'm Jos," and then added with a wry smile, "I _really_ hate babysitting, but I was actually happy to help. The little ones needed it, and still do, so I'm volunteering part of each cycle with the group that's still aboard the _Galactica._ "

"That's true, so thanks, Jos. Are you going to be transferred to another ship soon, too?"

The girl shook her head. "No, I was really worried about that with all of the bad rumors floating around, but I get to stay, at least for now! The Warrior who rescued me offered to be my guardian and take care of me since he...well, he knew my older brother. I was really apprehensive and had some serious issues about it, but he did save me and has been really kind so far. The nice colonel in the blue suit vouched for him, too, and told me I could come see him any time if there were any problems. Well, almost any time," she tittered. "The colonel found us a little family quarters, so we're going to give it a try, at least for a little while. He's given me the little bedroom with a locking door and he's sleeping on the pull-out in the main room. It seems like it's working out so far, though he is something of a neat freak."

Rigel smiled, "That's great! I'm glad it sounds like it's working out for you. What's this you're doing here?"

The girl frowned. "They're talking about starting a school soon, but since there aren't any progress records for our classes, he's trying to evaluate me 'for proper placement.' I told him where I was, but he's given me some homework so he can be sure! Let me tell you, a different ship may be sounding better by the micron."

Rigel chuckled lightly and said, "I don't know. They'd probably make you do the same thing there eventually, and your situation most likely wouldn't be nearly as nice."

The young girl nodded. "Oh, that's true! So I guess I'll see you around?"

Rigel nodded with a smile, and then went to get her tray. A couple of centons later as she sat down opposite Athena, Rigel whispered, "Now what's this big news you were going to tell me about Starbuck?"

"I went and spoke with Father, and then went to the Bridge to see if anyone had seen Starbuck. Colonel Tigh had seen him on the flight deck earlier, so I flipped through the flight deck monitors and kept going until I got an eye-full.

"I couldn't believe it but there was my boyfriend—in a launch tube of all places!—enjoying the embrace of a blond-headed tart wearing a bright red, almost-not-there evening dress. Rigel, I've never been so mad at him in all my life, and you know he's made me mad more than a few times!"

Rigel was very sad for her friend, wondering why she continued to put up with his antics, but Athena continued in a conspiratorial whisper, "I saw the 'Steam Purge' button and couldn't resist. I hit it and a micron later Starbuck was dancing in the exhaust like the little snake he is!"

Her waving upright arm making a writhing motion was too much and Rigel laughed hard for the first time in cycles. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Athena," she started but the lieutenant shook her head.

"Don't be. Starbuck and I are going to have a really serious talk about some things after this. Now, if I can just figure out which parts I'm actually going to say to him."

 _'***_

They finished the last of their meal and said goodbye for the evening, so Rigel decided to go to the gym to exercise before hitting the turbowash and bed.

With the mission having been a success and, based on what she'd heard from Jos and Athena, life seemingly going on, Rigel felt that she needed to start getting back into a regular routine. However, as she passed a station in a lounge still filled with refugees, she decided to check the passenger list one more time. She stood in line for a few centons until her turn came; when it did, she opened the registry database. Running through the list of survivors, she saw that over two thousand more names had been added to the registry during the cycle. Scrolling down the list, searching intently, she came to a sudden stop.

There she saw:

 _Euberto, agri-farmer, Taura, Livestock Ship_

There was a link in the remarks column to the right of that, so with her hand shaking, she clicked on it and the pop-up expanded with a note.

 _Euberto arrived on the Livestock Ship on a shuttle from the outskirts of the town of Golden City. In addition to a number of survivors including two of his own workers and several neighbors that he picked up along the way, the ship was filled with over 2,000 laying female cluckers and a few males in their crates that were being delivered to his agri-farm at the time of the attack. He also brought at least a six sectar supply of food and supplies for them. Euberto has been placed in charge of building up the Fleet's clucker flock._

After what she had faced in the dark times in her past, Rigel had sworn to never cry again; however, she laughed as tears of happiness streamed down her cheeks as she read the brief note. Donning the station's headset, she placed an inter-ship call to the Livestock Ship. When the comm officer on the other ship answered, she said with a tremulous voice, "Hello, this is Flight Corporal Rigel from the Battlestar _Galactica_. I'm trying to reach a man named Euberto from Golden City on Taura. Is he really on your ship? He's my uncle."

The End

 _'***_

 ** _Author's End Notes:_**

 _1\. The idea for this story came from noticing that Rigel was one of the people on the Bridge who did not appear to shed tears during the Cylons' attacks on the Colonies. As the destruction played out on the video screens around them, Rigel appeared to resist the urge, leading me to surmise that she had probably already gone through some very dark times during earlier periods in her life. I hope this story has done the idea justice._

 _2\. Like part of the last chapter, most of the dialogue in the first part of this chapter is verbatim from Saga of a Star World. Again, the interpretation of what was seen on-screen is my own._

 _3\. And finally, thanks so much for taking the time to read this story. I appreciate you reading it and would love to hear your thoughts by way of a review or even a PM. Such support encourages me to continue my Battlestar Galactica series in the future. Thank you!_


End file.
